Program directory · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Inclusive Communities
- Department
- Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
- Program code
- BED01 (ACOA)
- Core responsibility
- Economic Development in Atlantic Canada
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
For an economically diversified Atlantic Canada, communities must have the capacity and resources to be more inclusive; and for sustainable growth, entrepreneurs must be equipped to be competitive on the global market. Geographic communities and communities of interest, such as industry associations and non-profit organizations, need to invest in initiatives that stimulate economic growth. The Agency works with these communities through strategic investments to increase human capacity of people and organizations to increase and sustain growth and well-being. The lack of business capital available in rural regions impedes the establishment and expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises essential to the vitality and sustainability of communities. The Agency provides targeted support to Community Business Development Corporations (CBDCs) in Atlantic Canada, which provide essential investment capital focused on small rural businesses, and other services including business counselling and skills development. This program targets groups such as youth, women, Indigenous people, immigrants, including international students. It is well aligned with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Act and its activities, which include support for enterprises, business associations and community organizations, as well as other activities aimed at improving the business environment.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inclusive Communities | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $354M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Spending $126M, against $35.5M in 2019-20 (+255%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Spending $48.4M, against $126M in 2020-21 (−62%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Spending $35.8M, against $48.4M in 2021-22 (−26%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 19% | 2019 | — There was a change in the methodology used by Statistics Canada in gathering the data used to calculate the percentage of ACOA-assisted firms that are majority-owned by women. The target had been set using the previous methodology. The target for this indicator will be revised in the 2020–21 to reflect changes in Statistics Canada’s methodology. | No result reported |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 19% | 2020 | 12.4% There was a change in the methodology used by Statistics Canada in gathering the data used to calculate the percentage of ACOA-assisted firms that are majority-owned by women. Additional categories in ownership were added (e.g., equal and gender undefined in addition to men and women) and since then, the ratio of women via the total number of firms has declined. The target had been set using the… | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 11.5% | 2021 | 11.6% | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 12% | 2022 | 11.5% For 2021-22, the result achieved is slightly below target while remaining within the desired range for this performance measure. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 12% | 2023 | 11.2% For 2022-23, the result achieved is slightly below target while remaining within the desired range for this performance measure. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 11% | 2024 | 11.3% | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 11% | 2025 | 12.4% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 24% | 2019 | 19% Despite not reaching the target for 2018-19, the business survival rate of CBDC-assisted clients remains notably higher than that of unassisted firms. The five-year business survival rate for CBDC-assisted firms was 68% after the crucial fifth year following start-up for the 2006 to 2016 period, compared to 49% for unassisted firms. | Not met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 23% | 2020 | 19% Despite not reaching the target for 2019-20, the business survival rate of CBDC-assisted clients remains notably higher than that of unassisted firms. The five-year business survival rate for CBDC-assisted firms was 68% after the crucial fifth year following start-up for the 2007 to 2017 period, compared to 49% for unassisted firms. | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 19% | 2021 | 18% Despite not reaching the target for 2020-21, the business survival rate of CBDC-assisted clients remains notably higher than that of unassisted firms. The five-year business survival rate for CBDC-assisted firms was 66% after the crucial fifth year following start-up for the 2013 to 2018 period, compared to 48% for unassisted firms. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 19% | 2022 | 21% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 17% | 2023 | — Target cannot be assessed at time of drafting. Data from StatCan agreement is not yet available. | No result reported |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 19% | 2024 | -0.6% As a result of methodological changes, past and current baselines and target are no longer comparable with current and future results. | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 19% | 2025 | 0.2% As a result of methodological changes, past and current baselines and targets are no longer comparable with current and future results. | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 11.5% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 0% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $26.9M | $38.9M |
| 2019-20 | $26.8M | $35.5M |
| 2020-21 | $28.1M | $126M |
| 2021-22 | $27.7M | $48.4M |
| 2022-23 | $28.9M | $35.8M |
| 2023-24 | $30.7M | $37.6M |
| 2024-25 | $29M | $31.4M |
| 2025-26 | $30.2M | — |
| 2026-27 | $29.1M | — |
| 2027-28 | $28.2M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $25.8M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 32 | 39 |
| 2019-20 | 32 | 32 |
| 2020-21 | 32 | 36 |
| 2021-22 | 33 | 43 |
| 2022-23 | 32 | 41 |
| 2023-24 | 32 | 38 |
| 2024-25 | 32 | 40 |
| 2025-26 | 32 | — |
| 2026-27 | 30 | — |
| 2027-28 | 29* | — |
| 2028-29 | 28* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $26,882,474 | $26,785,895 | $26,785,895 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $26,817,706 | $26,817,706 | $26,742,156 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $28,144,292 | $27,237,771 | $27,202,465 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $27,661,547 | $27,608,064 | $27,340,284 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $28,905,433 | $28,514,669 | $27,809,049 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $30,739,920 | $27,862,204 | $26,662,209 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $29,024,935 | $27,793,511 | $23,955,982 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $30,248,310 | $26,040,212 | $25,449,212 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $29,100,883 | $28,157,546 | $25,799,287 | ||||||||
| Actual | $38,934,704 | $35,489,826 | $125,967,183 | $48,378,815 | $35,799,391 | $37,573,801 | $31,409,824 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
